E3 2014: Microsoft is all About the Games

A review of Microsoft's game-centric 2014 press conference.

At the beginning of the latest chapter in the neverending story of Sony vs. Microsoft at E3, the odds had never been more stacked against the green-hued publisher. After last years’ knock out blow from Sony, Microsoft has flip flopped around on its original vision for the Xbox One, and its focus has felt increasingly blurry and intangible.

Is Microsoft’s console still an all-in-one entertainment machine for the whole family driven by Kinect? Or, in the face of its subsequent price-drop and Kinect-less bundle, is it refocusing on its roots as a console for gamers? Or does it fall somewhere in the middle, promising everything but committing to nothing?

While there were no earth-shattering surprises, Microsoft’s presentation pitched the Xbox One very cleanly as a next-generation games machine

“

This year’s Microsoft E3 briefing went to great lengths to provide some clarification. While there were no earth-shattering surprises, Microsoft’s presentation pitched the Xbox One very cleanly as a next-generation games machine, with barely a mention of sports, TV, or Kinect to be found. The future is games, Microsoft told us. And, at least this year, the convergence of the living room is not such a focus in that future.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare opened the show with an explosive bang. On the big screen, the demo was heady enough to feel like a Disneyland ride, albeit one with dismemberment, heat-seeking grenades and jetpacks. Whatever you think of Call of Duty, this was an impressive, frantic piece of gameplay, full of the sort of theatrics and ridiculous set pieces the series crafts so well.

Loading

The serious tone continued with Forza Horizon 2, Evolve, Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Dragon Age: Inquisition. These were muscular, crowd-pleasing demonstrations, crafted with style and polish and of course, peeling guitars. Evolve’s invitation to ‘be the monster’ stirred the crowd up – everyone’s hungry for something new, particularly if it involves Predator-style combat – while Unity’s four-player co-op demo promised an intriguing – and timely - shift in direction for the series.

Loading

So far, so good, if a little predictable. Cue Sunset Overdrive, which saw the conference shift gears, moving into much more original territory. Insomniac’s next adventure game really looks like a lot of fun, and if what we saw today is anything to go by, promises to cast a brilliantly subversive eye on tired video game clichés. The anarchic demo, lead by Insomniac founder Ted Price, was a roller-coaster ride on an actual roller coaster, a breath of fresh, multi-coloured air amongst its po-faced peers. And, as if you need the reminder, it’s an Xbox One exclusive.

The sense of fun continued with the announcement of Dead Rising 3’s next DLC, a love-letter to Capcom, fittingly titled Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha, and a reminder that Project Spark exists, still looks great, and now has Conker the freakin' squirrel in it.

Loading

Next stop, Fable Legends, in a demo from Lionhead that didn’t quite hit its mark, if only because the promises of all the fun we’ll have in the game seemed overly earnest in contrast with what we were seeing onscreen, and its quip-based humour came off as a little twee after Sunset Overdrive’s mic-drop F-bomb. The game seems to have all the right Fable ingredients, but wedged between its rebellious and/or highly creative peers it came off as a little stiff and out-dated. I hope come release I am proven wrong, as it’s a great franchise for the publisher.

Proving Sony and thatgamecompany don’t exclusively hold the monopoly on moody, dream-like worlds, Ori and the Blind Forest is an intriguing platformer created by indie dev Moon. This is the sort of game that rarely features at Microsoft’s pressers, and it’s nice to see the publisher showing a commitment to this sort of creativity amongst the gun-toting fare and safe-bet sequels.

Loading

Perhaps the least surprising but most gratifying announcement of the day was Halo: The Master Chief Collection. While fans might have been disappointed at the lack of any gameplay footage from Halo 5: Guardians – which will have a beta in December - the embarrassment of riches included with 343’s announcement quickly dissipated any ill feelings.

Indeed, the Master Chief Edition couldn’t come at a better time. At an E3 where Microsoft desperately needed to remind fans of the Xbox’s identity, this bundle promises to be the ultimate celebration of its heritage. And at $60 US for such a wealth of content, there’s something of an olive branch being extended to fans here, too.

Loading

Those hanging out for Microsoft to prove its much-needed commitment to indie development were treated to a glimpse of Inside, a gorgeous-looking title from Limbo dev Playdead set to debut on Xbox One first, and a brief sizzle reel of other indies in development.

While we weren't treated to any deep dives on these smaller games (as is the E3 conference tradition), there was a wealth of exciting stuff to latch on to here, enough to suggest that the publisher’s ID@Xbox venture is working and the perception of the publisher as disinterested in anything but AAA titles is changing fast.

Loading

There were a couple of blockbuster wins for Microsoft, too. The debut trailer of Rise of the Tomb Raider, some Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay and a genuinely impressive look at The Division were all welcome, but it was the announcement of a re-imagined Phantom Dust and Xbox One exclusive Scalebound from Platinum Games that are really worth talking about.

Certainly, it’s nice to see Microsoft signing on the bottom line of a third-party exclusive contract; they’re an old-fashioned thing, and increasingly rare. A Platinum Games title alone is a big win for the publisher, let alone one featuring monster hunting and dragon slaying. And considering the gasps and unbridled cheers of at least 50 people in the press conference audience, a remake of the cult-favourite Phantom Dust is entirely welcome for those who appreciated it the first time around.

Microsoft ended its conference not with the mic-drop many might have hoped for, but with a gesture of goodwill nonetheless: the announcement that Crackdown

would be returning. It would have been very easy for the publisher to leave behind this franchise behind - it's been four years since Crackdown 2 - but if its E3 trailer is anything to go by, it's being brought back to roaring, neon life, as an Xbox One exclusive. Lead by original Crackdown developer David Jones, he's promising that "the right team" is at the helm.

Loading

This rebirth of a beloved franchise is just another example of Microsoft's remarkable shift in direction from last year. This was an assured briefing with a clear message behind it, and what's more, it was a briefing that felt tangible. There was no vagueness, no focus on region-specific TV features or talk of broad visions that may come to light in five or ten years time. This was about the immediate future. And for Microsoft, that immediate future is all about the games.

Loading

Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN AU. Follow her ramblings on IGN or Twitter.

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, learn more.